XN000022-1983-04-13 — Page 14

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1983

13

VEHICLE REPAIR SHOPS FREQUENTLY PRODUCE BOTH AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION IN THEIR IMMEDIATE VICINITY AND CAUSE OTHER INCONVENIENCES.

THE GOVERNMENT'S DIFFICULTIES IN TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE VEHICLE REPAIR SHOPS IN LOCATIONS WHERE THEY WOULD NOT POSE SUCH PROBLEMS HAD EARLIER BEEN OUTLINED IN THE COUNCIL, HE ADDED.

GOVERNMENT INCINERATORS, HE SAID, WERE SOURCES OF AIR

POLLUTION.

+ALTHOUGH THEY WERE BUILT TO THE BEST U.K. STANDARDS PREVAILING AT THE TIME OF THEIR CONSTRUCTION THEY ARE NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENT, AND ARRANGEMENTS ARE IN HAND TO ACHIEVE THIS.

+ SHALL BE GIVING DETAILS OF THIS PROGRAMME IN REPLY TO A LATER QUESTION, HE SAID.

HE SAID THAT POLLUTION FROM ELECTRICITY GENERATING STATIONS COULD TAKE MANY FORMS.

+AIR POLLUTION CAN ARISE FROM COAL HANDLING, COAL STORAGE, THE TRANSPORTATION OF ASH AND FROM THE NORMAL COMBUSTION PROCESS.

+WATER POLLUTION CAN BE CAUSED BY HOT WATER DISCHARGES

IN THE COOLING PROCESS AND FROM POOR HANDLING OF COAL OR ASH WHICH THEN FINDS ITS WAY INTO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT. THE OLDER, OIL- FIRED POWER STATIONS AT TSING YI, AP LEI CHAU AND HUNG HOM ARE KEPT UNDER SURVEILLANCE BY THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DIVISION OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT AND ARE GENERALLY OPERATING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE CLEAN AIR ORDINANCE, WHICH MERELY CONTROLS AIR POLLUTION ARISING FROM THE COMBUSTION PROCESS.

+NEW LEGISLATION AIMS TO EXTEND OUR PRESENT CONTROLS TO INCLUDE AIR POLLUTION FROM SUCH SOURCES AS COAL HANDLING AND ASH HANDLING, HE SAID.

MR BARNES SAID THAT CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF THE NEW COAL- FIRED POWER STATIONS INDICATED THAT INTERNATIONAL AIR QUALITY STANDARDS WERE BEING COMPLIED WITH, AND THAT THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT REMAINED SATISFACTORY.

REFERRING TO POLLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH AIRCRAFT TAKING-OFF,

HE SAID THIS PRIMARILY TOOK THE FORM OF NOISE.

+BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THE AIRPORT THERE IS A BAN ON ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6.30 AM ALTHOUGH, IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, A TAKE-OFF MAY BE PERMITTED PROVIDED THE AIRCRAFT DOES NOT FLY OVER THE KOWLOON PENINSULA.

+FLIGHTS OVER THE KOWLOON PENINSULA ARE FURTHER RESTRICTED BETWEEN 9 PM AND MIDNIGHT AND BETWEEN 6.30 AM AND 7 AM AND ARE ONLY PERMITTED WHEN WEATHER CONDITIONS OR UNSERVICEABLE NAVIGATIONAL AIDS PREVENT TAKE-OFFS VIA LEI YUE MUN. THE INTRODUCTION OF QUIETER AIRCRAFT BY INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES WILL ALSO HELP IN THIS REGARD, HE SAID.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HAD GIVEN ASSURANCE THAT AIR POLLU ION FROM AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS AT KAI TAK WAS NOT A MAJOR PROBLEM, HE SAID.

/14